Hi, how much do you reallythink you need to get started ,we have no money behind us due to very expensive wedding 7 days before we want to head out, we only decided a few weeks ago to do this, we can hopefully get relocation fees with my job that will cover flights , visas medicals bond etc but we dont have a house to sell and no ties, if we wait to save our pennies it could be another year before we could come by which point the relocation cover fees may not be available, we kinda feel we rent here so why not up sticks and move and rent there, no difference who knows but an adventure. We are however responsible for two kids so do need to be sure. Are we crazy , should we holt and think about it, is it gonna bankrupt us before we start or shall we just gofor it, i ll have guaranteed job and be earning as soon as arrive. any advice please throw now!!!

On the face of it it looks like an easy decision guys - you'll have a guaranteed job and no house to sell so you're right, you might as well be renting here. However, what if you don't like it? It's not uncommon for people to come over here on the promise of a job, and find that the job or the country doesn't turn out as planned. You're then faced with having to return all the relocation costs as well as having to pay for your return flights, possibly pay to break a rental lease and also try to get new jobs in the UK. That's a lot of money to find if you've nothing behind you.

On a positive note though, there are lots of people who come out her with nothing but a few suitcases and with hard work and determination make a great success of life here.

There's a lot to think about though and personally, I wouldn't be making such a massive decision based on a few days of research.

Good luck with it all though.

We came after a 5 minute "fancy going to Australia" over lunch one day. No friends/family/job/home over here when we turned up and never looked back since (arrived Sept 2005 after a 54 week visa/moving process). We never really researched it apart from checking we qualified for a visa. We just decided to do it and did it. We also had a son who was 10 when we came over. I'd say "just do it". If it works, great, if it doesn't at least you can look back and say "look what we did" If you have a guaranteed job that should at least keep you going until you decide exactly where you want to settle, if you want to change jobs etc.

This is a great approach if it works out well in the end.... but if it doesn't work out well I believe that instead of saying to yourself "look what we did", you will actually be asking "what the fk were we thinking?!!!"

Each to their own, though !! I must admit, I am jealous of you guys, as I wish that I had more of that kind of spontaneity in me !!

The only problem here is that the employer is relocating, and if they leave then they'd face the possibility of having to pay back thousands of relocation costs and they don't have any cash behind them to cover this.

Sometimes you've just got to go with it though.

Two sides of the same coin - fortunately ours landed the right way up (for us at least)

I've got to admit I wish I was more spontaneous too. Good on you

Well after our wedding Yvonne, with what people are saying, It'll be the best wedding present we could give each other.... anyway, we could always come back to dull, grey england and go back to being in debt and getting nowhere, where as Oz sounds 100% better and everyone sounds great.... I can't wait and the kids will love it too...

All the best sweetie....
Skyblue1 (The other half)

That's because you went to Brissy..some folk just seem to choose the right place, some don't.

i would say go for it!!!

if you dont like it too much make it work thats what we are gonna do

take the highs with the lows and vice versa not everything in the uk is hunky dory but we make it work over here.

so why not do the same with the sun on your back

I would go, but then again its just me and my oh, so we dont have kids to consider.

We moved to Bermuda on a whim and subsequently to Sydney. The move to Bermuda was paid for by our employers as we had jobs to go to, but its not as easy as saying "oh well if it does not work out we can return (like we crazily did)." Companies usually want you to stay for a certain period, otherwise you have to pay back the relocation costs. So, once I had arrived in Bermuda, if I had wanted to leave within 18 months, I would have had to pay my employer back nearly US$10,000 and paid for my own flights and shipping back to the UK. I did feel kind of trapped initially, but as I ended up liking Bermuda it worked out okay. But bear in mind that companies dont usually use the lowest air fares, shippers etc, so you could have to pay a lot of relocation costs back if you leave early.

Having not learnt our lesson , we then left Bermuda after 3 years and moved to Sydney last month, again, on a "well we can return if we dont like it". This time we had no jobs to go to and so we paid our own relocation costs. We have spent a lot of money settling in, second hand car, furniture etc. But again we like it here so its not wasted money. We have taken gambles which have paid off due to good luck more than anything else, and only you can weigh the risks up and decide.

Above all however, its not the financial cost thats the biggest gamble, but the emotional one. In hindsight, if we had hated either of our moves and returned to the UK, I would have felt annoyed that I had put myself under all that unnecessay stress for nothing (dont underestimate the emotional investment). Nothing will prepare you for that first night here in a cheap hotel with nothing to your name and no friends or family to help.

I really dont want to put you off, as if I was you I would go, as you have the job offer already. I just point these things out for you to factor in when making your decision. Good Luck to you and your family

that is all really good advice , i think i just needed to hear someone say go for it!!!! so any advice on nice placesto live, we currently thinking of brisbane or sunshine coast , so any advice to narrow it down... good schools essential !